Still A Woman
by speed killz
Summary: Keitaro talks to Naru about how he thinks Motoko is still a very beautiful woman, despite her character, and possible opinion to the contrary. Little does he know, Motoko is listening in.
1. Chapter 1

Love Hina - Still A Woman

Keitaro Urashima leaned against the railing of the second floor patio, and sighed. Naru Narusegawa turned to look at him, slight disgust on her face.

"You know, that's the third time you've sighed pathetically in as many pathetic minutes." She said. Urashima smiled at her, and she allowed herself to smile back. He really wasn't so bad, and she really wasn't so agitated at him. After all, they were dating...

"So what are you thinking about that's making you sigh so much?" Naru asked, running her fingers through her hair. Keitaro turned his face upward to catch the suns warm rays, taking a few minutes to phrase what he had to say.

After a few minutes, Naru began to get impatient, and Keitaro could tell. He decided to settle on a single word.

"Motoko." He said simply.

Naru slapped him upside the head, and glared at him. "Oh really, so you got me with you, and now you're after Motoko?" She asked. "Fast worker, albeit completely stupid." She said. "Motoko won't only NOT fall for you, she will kill you for suggesting whatever you're thinking about." She said. Keitaro sighed again. "You didn't listen to me." He said.

"Oh, then do explain." Naru said sarcastically.

Motoko accepted the pile of towels from Shinobu, and nodded to her. "I'll take these to the closet on the second floor." She said. Shinobu thanked her, and Motoko walked toward the stairs. As she climbed the staircase, her stomach growled lightly, yet she ignored it. She carefully reached the top, not wanting to drop the towels that Shinobu had just folded. As she walked down the hall, she heard voices on her left.

"...thinking about that's making you sigh so much?"

Motoko recognized it as Naru's voice, and continued down the hallway. She was nearing the balcony where she suspected Naru was at. A few minutes of silence, and Motoko continued walking. She was just about to cross the part of the hallway that merged with the balcony, when she heard Urashima's voice say her name.

"Motoko." He said softly, and she stopped, slipping against the wall to hear what he had to say. If it was anything perverted...

Motoko's ears were greeted by Naru's tirade, then Keitaro's tired defense. Naru seemed not to believe him, and she wondered what he was going to say.

"Well," Keitaro said. "It's like this. Remember back in the winter, when I got sick while I was supposed to be studying for exams?" He asked. Naru nodded. "Yeah, what of it?" She asked. Keitaro waved her off. "Patience, I'll come around to it." He said. He took a second to remember what he was talking about, then continued. "Anyway, so yeah, when I got sick, and everyone had their 'miracle cures'-"

"You mean the ones that almost killed you?" Naru asked, snickering.

"Yeah, them ones." He said. "Well I distinctly remember Motoko holding up a gecko and a toad, but it was the way she held them that really got to me for some reason." He said. "She held them by the legs, with just her thumb and pointer finger, with her pinky in the air. Whether she was afraid of them, didn't like the feel of them, or was just being dainty, I remember thinking that it was an incredibly woman-like gesture." He said.

Naru cut him off once again. "I'm still not seeing where this is going." She said.

"Patience young Padawan, you will, you will." Keitaro said. "So anyway, this summer, just a week ago, she was wearing the cutest tank top, and a nice pair of cut off jeans." He said. "I'm sure you remember what pair I'm talking about, for everyone commented on her appearance and said that she was starting to become more feminine." He said.

Naru nodded. "Yeah, I remember." She said. This time she didn't say anything sarcastic or snide; instead she decided to see if this idiot could connect some dots and pull something coherent out of this mass of seemingly unrelated sentences.

"Well there were a bunch more occurrences, like one time I was walking by her room, and her door was open, and I saw her combing her hair. Anyway, I didn't want to get blamed for peeping or whatever, so I hurried on." He said. "When I came back about a half hour later, she was _still_ combing her hair." He said.

Naru raised an eyebrow, prompting him to explain himself. He did.

"Does Motoko sound like the type of chick to spend half an hour on her hair?" He asked.

Naru thought about it. "How long ago was this?"

"Umm, 'bout three days ago." He said.

Naru thought about it. Keitaro stared out over the balcony, waiting for her to speak. Finally she did.

"Okay, I admit it. I haven't a clue where you're going with all of this." She said.

Keitaro sighed, and explained himself.

"No matter how you look at it, with all the training she does, the forms she practices, the arts she tries to memorize, the old school clothing she wears, Motoko is still a woman." He said. "She might try to hide it, saying she doesn't care about boys, wearing loose clothing, older clothing, and occasionally, like last week, tight clothing, then denoting it to the hot weather, she was still trying to hide it." He said.

Naru looked at him. "And this bothers you?" She asked. Keitaro shook his head. "No, I'm not done." He said.

Naru nodded. "Okay..."

Keitaro winced. "Okay, you're probably going to hit me for this, but the truth is, Motoko is a very beautiful woman." He said. He shut his eyes, and waited for the hit. A few seconds later, when it didn't come, he carefully opened one eye.

Naru was staring at him, blushing lightly. "So? Continue!" She said.

"R-right. Um, anyway, Motoko is very, very pretty-"

"Yes, I heard that, no need to repeat it." She said flatly. "And what's the deal with the extra 'very'?"

"Huh?"

"No, nevermind. Continue." She said.

"Right, so, being a pretty girl, I started wondering why she would try to hide it." He said. "Sure, she practises swords, but that's no reason to cover yourself up, with the impression that your not attractive." He said.

"Wait, wait, how do you know Motoko thinks she isn't attractive?" Naru asked.

Keitaro smiled. "Because you were once like her." He said. Naru glanced sideways at him, not sure if she should hit him yet. "Explain." She said.

"Well, haven't you noticed, any time I look at Motoko, she blushes, then proceeds to beat the living shit out of me?" He asked.

"Yes, and that's because you're a pervert and deserve everything that comes your way." She said, matter-of-factly.

Keitaro ignored her.

"No, you were like that too." He said. "When I first came here. Although it was a little harder to get that reaction, all I had to do was look at you and smile." He said. "You, being insecure about your looks, proceeded to beat the fuck out of me, and call me a pervert."

Naru couldn't argue with him there. He was certainly correct.

"After a while, you dropped the sweater, and realized that you look pretty with or without your glasses, and your attitude, and the way you presented yourself to others changed drastically."

"And you think that this is the case with Motoko?" She asked. Keitaro nodded. "Yeah. Sure she's been working a bit more on becoming lady-like, but that isn't even the problem. She's always been lady-like, she just hasn't shown it." He said. "It's like she's suppressed it so she can become sort of gender-neutral, to focus on her training." He said.

"But the real problem, as I see it anyway, lies in the way she presents herself." He said. "She wears concealing clothing, doesn't smile, doesn't make any attempt whatsoever at being charming, or trying to present herself as a beautiful girl, it's just annoying." He said.

Naru laughed. "AHA! So just because Motoko doesn't dress in skimpy clothing, and flaunt her sexuality around, you're all pissed off!" She said.

Keitaro shook his head. "NO! Okay, that came out a bit wrong." He said. "What I really meant was, even if she keeps the baggy, concealing clothing, that's fine with me. It isn't my purpose to ogle her." He said seriously. "What I'm bugged about is, Motoko doesn't realize just how beautiful she really is, and it saddens me that her state of dress and her presentation of herself is a direct view of how she thinks she should look, or does look." He said. "Even if she kept the samurai clothing, if she would just be comfortable combing her hair around everyone else, or be comfortable with the rest of us to be able to relax for a while, then I'd be happy." He said softly. "But I always get the feeling from her that she has to keep up an air of neutrality, of slight anger. She doesn't have to, and if she knew that, then I think she'd be able to relax a bit." He said.

Naru thought about it.

"You should tell her that." She suggested.

Keitaro shook his head. "NO WAY!" He said, laughing. "It took me almost fifteen minutes to explain myself here, with you. Imagine if I had to explain all that to Motoko, I'd get so nervous that I'd probably mess it up, and have her hate me for thinking that I was trying to insult her." He said.

"Say, why do you get so nervous around her, anyway?" Naru asked. "None of us do."

"Um, have you seen her kill me on numerous occasions, for offenses both real and imagined?" He asked.

Naru laughed.

Keitaro smiled. "No, that isn't it." He said. "I get so nervous because she's such a beautiful girl, and when I see her I lose my concentration." He said. "I can't focus too well when she's around, and when I can't concentrate, I end up making a mistake, and she end's up killing me, and thinking less of me." He said.

Naru was silent, but listening to Keitaro's words, she started to suspect that he liked Motoko.

"Well, anyway the point I was trying to make was that I just wish she could be comfortable around with the small things, the feminine things, like combing her hair, or wearing whatever clothes she wants, without having to prepare excuses like "it's so hot" or anything else." He said. "I feel like I've pretty much bonded with everyone else here except Motoko." He said. "If she was more comfortable with herself, then maybe we could bond, and become something like tentative friends." He said.

"Then maybe I'll be able to tell her all of what I told you." He said.

Naru was silent for a few more minutes, and they both watched the wind rustle the treetops out in the distance.

Motoko was silent, trying to comprehend all that she had heard. _So he thinks I'm pretty, but thinks that I don't show myself the way that I should...? No, not the way that I should, the way that I should be comfortable with. He thinks that I don't think I'm very attractive, when, according to him, I am._

Motoko felt her cheeks heat up, and she decided to put the towels away, and eavesdrop no more. She walked silently back the way she had come, figuring she'd go the long way around.

As she left though, she heard Urashima speak one more time.

"She hides behind baggy samurai clothes, and practises swords, tries to keep a neutral, aloof air about herself, tries to erase all evidence of her feminine side, but in reality, her armor's cracking. She's showing her beautiful face more and more everyday, every day becoming more open and comfortable with all the things she would have found unnessecary a few months ago." He said. "She might not like to show it, but she's still a woman, and a very beautiful one at that."

A/N: Just my take on Motoko's attitude, state of dress and opinion toward things like charm, caring, affection, and basically showing her feminine side. All throughout the manga though, she makes unconscious feminine choices, and they are the influences for this story. Motoko might try to hide it behind her sword, but she's still a very pretty woman. Maybe another chapter with Motoko's reaction to Keitaro's words, if I get around to it.


	2. Chapter 2

Still A Woman, Chapter Two.

It had been three days since Motoko had overheard Keitaro talking about her. She had tried countless times to approach him, and talk to him about it, but every time always seemed to be the wrong time. He was either in his room studying, or talking with Naru, or cleaning, and she was hesitant to interrupt him during those times. Indeed, she realized, it seemed rare to find Keitaro with a moment to himself.

Now, though, night was falling, and the house was quieting down. So intent Motoko was upon confronting Urashima, she didn't stop to realize that this was a rare occaision. Although Naru and Shinobu were often quiet once it got dark, Kitsune and Su oft made up for them, keeping all of them awake long into the night with their rowdy behaviour. Kitsune often found late night gambling channels, and Su hung with Kitsune, not fully understanding the art of gambling, but game to "Ahh Yeah!" and "Aww No!" along with her. Motoko sighed, and stood up from where she was sitting on her floor. She had been cleaning her blade, and as she stood she sheathed it, bringing it along with her lest Urashima have one of his "perverted accidents."

It was now or never to tell him, for if she waited any longer, it would be awkward to bring up no matter what the situation. She gathered her strength, and contemplated what she was about to do. She was about to find Urashima, admit to him that she had been eavesdropping on his conversation, and overheard him. Then, providing he wasn't angry with her, she wanted to talk it out with him, and find out exactly why he felt like he did. She took a deep breath and held it, closing her eyes and clearing her mind. Associating with Keitaro wasn't something she did often, and when she did, it was purely for tenent-to-landlord business. Even greeting him was awkward; this was going to be damn near impossible.

She released her breath, and checked herself in her newly aquired mirror. She hadn't owned such a thing until Naru had ducked into her room to check her hair before continuing on to Keitairo's, and had been astonished to find that Motoko didn't own a mirror. Naru had promptly went out and bought one, despite her protests.

Deeming herself appropriate to have a non-business conversation with her landlord, she walked out of her room.

She turned down the hallway, and wandered toward Keitaro's room, deciding to check there first. If he wasn't there, she would check near the front, and ask any of the girls she ran into.

Halfway to Keitaro's room, a voice broke Motoko out of her thoughts, drawing her to a stop. Her head came up, and all thoughts of how to best approach the topic vanished. She turned, and was greeted by Naru, who was carrying a small study book.

"What are you doing, Motoko?" Naru asked, closing the book. Motoko shrugged, and a voice in the back of her head reminded her that the gesture was something she would have never done a few months previous.

"Looking for Keitaro." She said. "Do you know where he is?"

Naru nodded. "Yeah, he's studying in the kitchen, Shinobu wanted to clean out his room." She said, laughing. Motoko nodded, then bowed slightly. "Thank you." She said. She started to walk past Naru, when Naru spoke up again.

"Motoko?" Naru's voice was almost timid, and Motoko turned to look at her. "Yes?" She asked. Naru looked away. "Do you still..." Naru figeted with her book, then shook her head. "No, nevermind." She said. Then she smiled. "Your hair looks cute, Motoko." She said.

Motoko blushed lightly, and thanked her, continuing down the hallway.

Indeed, after the episode that ended with her cutting her hair and announcing herself as a nun, she had battled her sister. The conclusion of the battle was that Motoko was determined to go to Tokyo U, and still train with her sword. Since then, she had been growing out her hair, and it was now down to her shoulders. She didn't want anyone to know, but she desperately missed its longest length, when it would fall down to her hips. She had been proud of her long silky black hair, and cutting it had been a symbol of her resolve. Of course, the resolve had quickly weakened, but now she had new goals, and was determined to forget her moment of weakness.

Motoko found herself in the kitchen a lot faster than she would have liked, but there was no backing out now. Sure enough, Keitaro was sitting at the kitchen table, various books spread out in front of him. Motoko felt her courage weakening, and she decided to have a temporary withdraw. It wouldn't be appropriate to bother him while he was studying anyway...

She walked to the stove, behind Urashima, and put some water on to boil. As the pot clanked against the stove, Keitaro clued in to his surroundings, and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, hiya Motoko." He said cheerfully. Motoko was slightly taken aback. 'Hiya?' His language was quickly degrading to that of Su's, but every day he seemed to be getting more intelligent, and he proved that when he tutored her.

"Good evening Urashima." She said, not gracing him with a bow. Urashima didn't notice, nor would he have cared if he did notice; Motoko always treated him with casual indifference.

"How's your studying coming along?" He asked, returning his gaze to his book. Motoko reached into the cupboard above the stove, and retrieved the item she wanted.

"Fine." She said, after a moments thought.

Urashima was silent, and for a second Motoko thought he hadn't heard her reply, which she found rude. He had asked her a question, then didn't even pay attention to the answer.

Motoko was about to confront him about it, when he answered. "Hmm, that's good." He said. "So no problems then?" He asked, eyes still on his study book.

Motoko bit her tongue, and shook her head, the gesture unseen by him. "No, none." She said.

Keitaro was silent for another few seconds, then turned to face Motoko. He then smiled at her. "That's good." He said.

Motoko looked away, and saw that her water was boiling. She poured it into the prepared cups, and picked them both up. She carried them to the table, and set one down in front of Urashima.

Without looking to gauge his reaction, she sat down across from him, cup in her hands. Keitaro takes a sip from the hot chocolate she had placed in front of him, and thanks her, saying that it's quite good.

Motoko said nothing, and stared at the table just in front of her. It happened to include Keitaro's book in her field of vision, but she pretended not to notice. She tried not to, but it was inevitable that she drank her hot chocolate rather quickly, trying to avoid conversation. Of course, the effect was that her drink was gone rather quickly. She now needed to speak, and soon, or Urashima would suspect something.

Motoko gripped her sword, and swallowed, lightly clearing her throat.

"Urashima, we need to talk."

Keitaro was shocked at the seriousness of her tone, and he wondered if something was wrong. He closed his book and pushed it aside, leaning forward on the table and staring her in the eye.

"Yes, what is it?" He asked. He was trying to appear calm, but inside he was scared to death. Motoko was obviously very displeased with him, and apparently it was bad enough that she didn't go straight to the ass-kicking; it must have shocked her bad enough to suppress that reaction. It would no doubt come later though...

"Ura...Keitaro, I overheard your conversation with Naru three days past." She said. "The one about me."

Keitaro's eyes widened, and he felt his hands start to tremble.

"Oh, you...you heard that, eh?" He asked. "S-sorry." He said.

Motoko looked at him sharply. "You didn't say anything insulting, in my opinion." She said softly. "There's no reason to apologize." She said.

Keitaro almost apologized again, but caught himself and said nothing. Instead, he took a sip from his cup of hot chocolate, and decided to wait until Motoko spoke.

"Ahh, the things you said were quite flattering." She said, hating herself for being unable to look him in the eye. Keitaro nodded, and wondered where she was going with it. "Um, I guess, I have a lot of things to say, but my thoughts aren't in any sort of order, so do you mind if I just talk for a bit?" She asked.

Keitaro was silent, forcing her to look up at him. When she did, he smiled. Motoko blushed lightly as he smiled, and it only got darker at his next words.

"I'd be glad to listen to you 'just talk'." He said. "You hardly talk to any of us, much less myself, so I'd be glad to hear anything you've got to say." He said.

Motoko willed her blush away, and looked down at the table again. She was silent for a few minutes, during which she reached across the table for Keitaro's cup. She took a sip from the cup, and set it down, sliding it halfway across the table back to Urashima.

"I...I appreciated what you said about me, but I'd rather you just come and tell me something like that." She said. "I know why you didn't, due to my eavesdropping, and it's understandable." She said. "I know you'd be hardpressed to think I'd listen to you talk to me about what you thought of me, but hopefully I can change your mind now." She said.

Keitaro nodded, and Motoko wondered where she was going with all this. She was saying some pretty crazy stuff, and she had better come to a point with all of it or Urashima would think she was naught but a rambling fool. Plus, anyone could walk in at any time, and discover that they were actually talking. Kitsune, still awake, would no doubt raise the whole Inn if she found out, and Naru was still prowling around, studying. Not to mention if Su or Shinobu got up during the night.

So far though, it was peaceful. The kitchen was quiet, only the sound of their voices were heard.

"And, uh, I was just wondering, what exactly made you say all that?" She asked, giving herself more time to think, to phrase her thoughts.

Keitaro took a sip from the cup that he and Motoko had taken to passing back and forth, and hummed, staring at the table. A few seconds later, and he looked up at her, staring her in the eyes.

"I guess I was just a bit worried about you." He said. "I had pretty much established relationships with all the other girls, but you were the only distant one who seemed to dispise me." He said. "Then, before I knew it, I had realized that you are a very beautiful woman, and I became confused as to why you'd want to hide it." He said.

Motoko didn't fail to notice that he had abruptly switched from past tense to present tense when describing her beauty.

"Explain that a bit to me." She said.

Keitaro hummed again. "Well, I guess I saw you being uptight, unable to express yourself effectively." He said. Motoko had to cut in here, just for the sake of arguement.

"Hey, wait, how did you know that I wasn't expressing myself effectively?" She asked.

Keitaro sighed. "I don't know, you just didn't seem very trusting, and it seemed that whenever I walked into the room, you immediately stiffened up and changed into someone else." He said. "And I realized that I wanted you to be comfortable around me like you were around the others." He said. "Though, the main reason I was telling Naru, and not you directly, was I didn't want to appear pushy." He said. "I didn't want you to think that I was trying to force you to do something."

Motoko took a sip from Keitaro's cup, and nodded. "Huh, I see." She said.

"So how did you come up with your whole, "doesn't express herself as a woman" type thing?" She asked, a slight teasing tone to her voice. It was something Keitaro had never heard in her voice before, and he was temporarily mesmerized by her voice.

"Whoa...uh, I mean, just because." He said. "I noticed that the part you seemed to block out most around me was your feminine side." He said. "It's like, when I entered the room, you ceased to be a woman. Your whole demeanor changed." He said. "But slowly, the cracks appeared." He said. He told her of the time he had noticed her combing her hair, and told her about when he was sick, and she had offered him the toad and gecko in an utmost feminine way. Even though Motoko had already heard these stories during her eavesdropping, she was still surprised that he had noticed so much about her.

"Does it bother you that much that I'm uptight around you?" She asked. Keitaro smiled. "Wouldn't it bother you if Naru acted one way with you, then acted differently with everyone else?" He asked.

Motoko smiled. "True."

There was another bout of silence; both were surprised that the other was still talking to them. Motoko thought about their conversation for a few minutes, before deciding to attack the issue head on.

"How would you prefer I act, Keitaro?" She asked, using his first name instead of his last name.

Keitaro reached for the cup that was sitting between them, just as Motoko did. Their hands touched briefly, and Keitaro jerked his hand back. He winced, expecting to get hit, but he wasn't. Motoko blushed lightly at the contact between them, and said nothing. Keitaro was also silent for a few minutes, before he remembered that she had asked a question.

"I don't want you to act." He said. "Just be yourself. If you feel comfortable continuing to be like you have, then please do so, but if you find it's easier to do some things that you never would have let yourself do before, even if it shows more of your feminine side, then I'd hope that you'd let us see that side of you." He said.

Motoko thought about it. So he really didn't want anything from her, except for her to be more comfortable around them. In fact, he was content to let her continue how she had been living, if that was how she truly felt. As she thought about it, she found it hard to believe that Keitaro could come up with something like this. She smiled, and Keitaro grinned, despite not knowing what she was smiling about.

"There, already something good has come out of this!" He said.

Motoko raised her head to look at him. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Keitaro grinned. "I can't ever remember you smiling around me, unless you were about to exorcise me." He said. "And then, it was a manic smile. This one seemed a bit sweeter." He said.

Motoko nodded slowly. There was more silence, but it seemed more companion-like; less awkward than before.

"I'll think about what you said, Urashima." She said, standing slowly. As she stood, she stretched. She was more than ready for bed. Keitaro adverted his eyes as she stretched, for the T-shirt she was wearing was riding up slightly, revealing her wide hips and slender waist. He definitely would have liked to stare, but this was his first major civil conversation with Motoko, and he didn't want it to end badly.

Motoko picked her cup up from the table, and put it in the sink, washing it out. When she was finished, she walked back toward the table.  
"Good night Keitaro." She said softly. Keitaro turned to say good night to her, and as he did, Motoko gathered up her courage, bending down swiftly. Before Keitaro could react, Motoko had placed a kiss on his cheek, and disappeared out the kitchen door.

Keitaro was stunned. Motoko was the last person he expected to pull something like that. Indeed, he had been betting Shinobu would make a move on him before Motoko ever would.

Still, her lips were incredibly soft, and minutes later Keitaro could still feel where her lips had pressed against his cheek. Lost in thought, his eyes fell upon his study book. Now, though, he was too confused to attempt anything that resembled studying, and he closed the book with a sigh. Maybe he would go to bed, and study tomorrow morning.

Motoko hurried to her room, not wanting to encounter Urashima in the hallways. She was still blushing deeply from her actions, and was deep in thought when she rounded the corner. She bumped into a grinning Kitsune, and she bowed to apologize.

"Ahh, don't worry about it." She said. "Besides, I think you're going to be hating me soon." She said. Motoko's eyes narrowed. "Why's that?" She asked. Kitsune grinned. "Because, I happened to witness your little kitchen scene, and you know how I love to spread gossip." She said. Motoko groaned, and already she was regretting the kiss.

"What is it you want?" She asked.

Kitsune's grin only got wider. "I'm a little short on rent this month, so if you could spot me some yen, then all will be fine." She said. Motoko didn't have any immediately on her, so she asked how much she wanted.

"Humm, several thousand should cover it." She said, nodding. "I'll determine an exact figure later, once I see the size of your checking account."

"God damn you Mitsune..." Motoko was sufficiently aggravated that she reverted to Kitsune's real name.

"Ah ah ah! You wouldn't want me to recount the details to a certain Naru, now would you?" She asked, winking at Motoko.

Motoko accepted defeat, and turned to go to her room. Kitsune also turned to leave, before remembering something.

"Oh, and Motoko, surely that kiss wasn't behaviour befitting a warrior, now was it?" Kitsune asked.

Motoko stopped, and shook her head. "No, but it was behaviour befitting a woman."

A/N: Well, there's the second chapter. Kitsune's little stunt seems to set up a third, so look for that one soon. Thanks for reading, and please review, let me know what you think.


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